When I was covering the Sony Gamescom Presser last year there was loads of interesting and exciting stuff leaping out at me, but one of the things that perhaps intrigued me the most was the potential of a game created by Hideo Kojima and Guillermo del Toro, and featuring the acting talents of Norman Reedus. Also, given that this was to be the next installment in the ever popular Silent Hill franchise, and given the talent involved, it looked like it couldn’t possibly lose.

But then it did – big time! We’re not sure what happened exactly, but it seems that Konami and Kojima have fallen out in a way that makes He-Man and Skeletor look like Forever Besties in comparison. Having been almost synonymous with each other for two decades, Konami and Kojima appear to have parted ways quite dramatically, and in a manner which strongly suggests there won’t be any kind of reconciliation anytime soon. That’s sad for a lot of reasons, obviously, but not least because it now means that “Silent Hills” is finished – or at least in the form that promised so much.

NormusConfirming that devastating news this weekend, Guillermo del Toro, when asked about the game, responded with a fairly definitive (and heartbreaking) “it’s not going to happen”. Then, just to crush any lingering hope that any of us might be clinging onto, Norman Reedus said on Twitter that he was “Super bummed” about the cancellation because he was “really looking forward to it”.

Then, as, like, the whole internet got involved, Konami themselves jumped on the disappointment express train. In a statement to Kotaku, they said:

“Konami is committed to new Silent Hill titles, however the embryonic ‘Silent Hills’ project developed with Guillermo del Toro and featuring the likeness of Norman Reedus will not be continued.

In terms of Kojima and Del Toro being involved, discussions on future Silent Hill projects are currently underway, and please stay tuned for further announcements.”

PTWhich is pretty much about as definitive as it’s going to get, I’m afraid. Obviously, there’s a teeny, tiny element of hope contained in that “in terms of Kojima and Del Torro being involved, discussions….” bit, but if I were a betting man, I wouldn’t be putting money on it happening anytime soon – if at all. Which is genuinely a huge shame, because it really could have been something special, particularly if the Playable Teaser “PT” was anything to go by.

Oh, and on that note, Konami also announced they’ll be taking that down this week – so if you do want to play it, get it from the PlayStation Store before it disappears forever – along with all of the hope and expectation it once generated.